Rep. Chu Condemns Jeb Bush’s Use of “Anchor Babies”

PASADENA, Calif. (Aug. 25, 2015) — In an interview on Monday, Jeb Bush defended his use of the term “anchor babies” by saying “frankly, it is more related to Asian people.” Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress and a co-sponsor of bipartisan immigration reform efforts, released the following statement:

“No matter which ethnic group you’re referring to, ‘anchor babies’ is a slur that stigmatizes children from birth. The problem with our immigration system is not birthright citizenship. The problem is a broken immigration system that forces families to live apart or live in fear. We need a conversation that leads to a solution on visas and naturalization and seriously considers how we can integrate the 11.5 million undocumented immigrants already living and contributing here. All that is accomplished through talk of anchor-babies – be they from Latin America, Asia, Europe, or Africa – is to use xenophobic fears to further isolate immigrants. It’s time for our country to return to a substantive discussion on immigration.”